Broken Things Can Be Fixed You Only Have to Believe
by WriterlyInqueling
Summary: Jack was nimble/ Jack was quick/ Jack meant to see/ if the ice was thick/ The ice was thin/ And his sister fell/ Slowly sinking/ Till she drowned. Someone's been messing with time...
1. Umm Is This Normal?

**Author's Note: 'Ello all! This is my debut fan fiction on Fan Fiction. Yay! *confetti and fireworks* I've been silently stalking around this website for a while *cough* like a year *cough* and have not only decided that I like fan fiction, but that I can write it myself! *more confetti* This is not my _first_ fanfiction, but when I said I was getting an account my twin said, "YOU HAVE TO POST THIS ONE FIRST." She is very persuasive. One more thing before you get to the story, I am totally new to this website so please cut me some slack as I figure out how things work, thanks! Without further ado...**

Bunny's ears twitched again. There was that odd feeling again, like something wasn't quite right. He'd felt it before a long time ago. What in the world did it mean?

"Bunny? You okay?"

Bunny scrunched his face up, "Fine, North, just got an odd feeling."

North's eyebrows rose, "You keep twitching. Iz very distracting."

Tooth burst in at that moment, "Sorry, I'm late!" She held up a tooth covered in gum and blood, "First tooth!" She looked at as if it was the most wonderful thing in the world, "Isn't it beautiful?"

Bunny tried not to gag at the tooth in his face, "Sure, Tooth."

Tooth looked around the room. Her eyes fell on Sandy sleeping in the corner, and she yawned, "A nap wouldn't be a bad idea..."

Bunny scoffed, "You could probably take a nap during the time it gets Frostbite to get here."

Tooth's feathers spread out, "He isn't here yet?"

North shook his head, "No."

"Did you remember to open the window this time?"

Bunny chuckled, the memory of that _SMACK_ and an _owww..._ as Jack rubbed his nose and glared at Phil.

North nodded, "Window iz open. Perhaps Jack forgot?"

Bunny was about to make some comment on how they had reminded Jack like 20 times _each_ , when that odd feeling came back.

"Bunny... you are twitching again."

Tooth looked at Bunny, confusion all over her face, "What do you mean 'twitching'?"

Bunny shook his head, "Ugh, I _know_ I've had this feeling before!" He pulled out an egg, painting always calmed his nerves.

 _CRASH!_

Bunny nearly dropped the egg, "What was that?!"

Sandy jumped up, wide-awake now.

Jack stumbled into the room, pale as death. At least, it _looked_ like Jack... Except his hair was turning brown, like the white was a bad dye job.

Jack looked up and Tooth gasped, Jack's eyes were also going brown.

Jack licked his lips then held up a hand... or at least where his hand was supposed to be. The sleeve was empty.

"Umm... Is this a normal Guardian thing?"


	2. Iz Not Good

**A/N: So this is how you post a new chapter... Fascinating! Still working out how to do different things (figured out how to name chapters *confetti*) but I think I'm getting the hang of this website!**

 **So, quick note about the story. In case you didn't know, Rise of the Guardians is based on a book series The Guardians of Childhood (I had no clue about this until recently and I'm telling you, William Joyce is so amazing and the books are just- just- there are no words for how good they are.) Just letting you know, for those who hate spoilers, I will be referencing the books every now and then. (I totally, absolutely recommend the books, except the last one isn't out yet! *cry*)**

 **OH, and there will be _no pairings_. At least not between characters that are not my own. Sorry to all you people who love romance, but quite frankly, pairing up other people's characters makes me want to throw up.**

 **So... On with the story!**

 _"Umm... Is this a normal Guardian thing?_ _"_

 _()()()_

They stared at him in shock. Jack stood there with his missing hand held out.

Tooth managed to choke out some words, "You- you're... You're fading!"

Jack looked confused then suddenly stumbled forward. North caught him and put him on a chair.

Jack swallowed nervously when he looked down and saw... nothing. His pant legs were as empty as his sleeve. Tooth started when she realized the brown had spread even further. Jack looked up at them, his eyes full of fear, "Guys? What's fading?" He couldn't hide his anxiety, "What's happening to me?"

Bunny's odd feeling felt twice as strong, _AUGH, if only I could place what this is._

North swallowed the lump in his throat, he hated being the bearer of bad news. "Remember what we said that when you are Guardian," North hesitated for a second, struggling to find the right words, "if you have no... no believers..."

Jack's eyes widened when he realized what North was saying, "No. No, no no no. That can't be happening to me." He looked at them pleadingly, "Jamie. He still believes."

North looked at the globe, the lights were still shining at bright as ever. Jamie's light was still shining.

Suddenly, Jack fell forward again, the brown spreading further. This time though, all of them felt a sharp stab. The lights flickered and Jamie's light went full out than back on again. Jack's feet and hands were invisible now.

Bunny's odd feeling felt so strong that he felt like he'd pop right out of his fur.

Sandy's eyes were wide, a single question mark floating over his head.

North steadied himself, "No idea, but iz not good."

()()()

North paced back and forth, "Jack, when did this start?"

Jack stared down at where his hands should have been, "A- a few hours ago. I was flying to the meeting and my staff slipped through my fingers. At least, where my fingers should've been..."

Bunny felt his heart quicken, "North. My odd feeling started a few hours ago."

Jack tilted his head, "Odd feeling? Is that why you're so twitchy?"

"Why da y'all think I'm twitching?!"

Jack shrugged, "It's what all cute little bunnies do."

Bunny glared at Jack, "Well, anyways, it started a few hours ago and keeps getting stronger."

Tooth's feathers stood on end, "You say you've felt this before?"

Bunny nodded, "A long time ago..."

"Can you remember when? Maybe if you remember what was happening around that time, you can remember what it was."

Bunny closed his eyes, "I think it's around when I met North and Ombric for the first time..."

Jack's eyebrows scrunched up, "Who's Ombric?"

They looked at him in surprise. Tooth's face flushed in embarrassment, "We've never told you how the Guardians were formed in the first place, have we."

Jack shook his head, "Nope. Not at all."

North frowned, "Iz story for another time. Suffice to say, Ombric was my teacher."

Bunny's foot tapped anxiously, "It was before the Battle at the Earth's Core..."

North laughed, "I remember when Ombric told me and Katherine about the rabbit-man who interfered with his time-traveling. We thought he vas crazy."

Bunny lurched forward, "That's it!" He could've slapped himself, it was so obvious now!

"What's it?!" Jack could barely keep the excitement out of his voice, maybe this could be fixed!

Bunny grabbed North's arm, "Someone's messing with the time-stream!"


	3. Wait, Really?

**A/N: Does anyone have any tips on how to make line breaks? I tried ~ and * but so far the only thing that works is (). Thanks!**

 **On we go...**

 _Bunny grabbed North's arm, "Someone's messing with the time-stream!"_

()()()

Jack's laugh pierced the quiet. Then he saw how serious everyone else looked and his laugh died away, "Wait. Are you serious?!"

Tooth fluttered anxiously, "Who would mess with time?"

Jack held up his hands, or at least his arms, "Hold on a minute." He shoved a sleeve in Bunny's direction, "Bunny is Father Time now?"

Bunny looked offended, "There is no Father Time. Pooka's are just tuned to time-travel."

Jack held back a snicker, "Okay, Harvey."

A clock formed above Sandy's head then an arrow pointing at Jack. North nodded, "Someone iz messing with Jack's past."

Jack froze, "Wait, what?" He tilted his head, confused, "Like my past past? My human past?"

Bunny nodded, "Think so, mate." He looked at Jack thoughtfully, "How many people want you gone, Frost?"

Tooth immediately smacked him, "Bunny!"

Jack looked down at the floor, "None of the other spirits like me very much. A lot of them wish I was never made."

Tooth clenched her fists.

Bunny continued anyway, "Anyone in particular?"

Jack frowned, "Not really, I mean like Blaze has a grudge against me, but it's because he's the spirit of Summer. I don't even think he knows I have a past, just that I'm winter and he's summer." Jack pursed his lips, "The Autumn spirits hate my guts, but they're all about balance so I don't think they'd try to remove me permanently or anything. I've annoyed like every single spirit at least once or twice, but I don't think they'd actively try to kill me. Hurt me? Maybe. But kill me?" He shook his head, "They've kind of just settled at ignoring me."

The Guardians wondered briefly if Jack had seen them as some of the many people who just ignored his existence. Bunny pushed down the guilt, now was _not_ the time to worry about that.

Tooth's eyes widened as a terrifying thought ran through her head, "What if it's-" The lights flickered again and she fell to the ground. Jamie's light went full out and wasn't coming back on. Bunny grit his teeth, the feeling was like a sharp knife now. Jack groaned, his hair was all brown and so were his eyes. His right arm was completely faded now.

Jack gasped, trying hard not to scream or cry out, who knew fading was so _painful_?

A dark laugh echoed in the room making everyone's blood run cold.

A figure emerged from the shadows, "I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see you like this, Jack..." Pitch laughed again, "You look _awful_."


	4. Broken Time

**A/N: Oooo... cliffhanger. You may have noticed my obsession with those. Not that this chapter is going to be any different...**

 **To the story!**

 _Pitch laughed again, "You look_ awful _."_

()()()

"Pitch!" Tooth's suspicions were confirmed. She glared at the man in the shadows, but was still too weak to get up.

Pitch smiled, "Who knew that one little event could have such a huge impact on the future!"

Bunny stared at Pitch, "It was you."

Pitch clapped, "So it was! Kudos to you rabbit."

Jack sat up straight, he wouldn't let Pitch see him in any pain, "What did you do to me?"

Pitch could barely contain his excitement, he laughed again, "I saved your life!"

Jack's heart stopped, literally. He keeled over. After a terrifying second, it started beating again.

Pitch looked around in interest, "Hmm... I thought that you would be gone by now, but I guess it takes a while for the past to catch up with the future."

North glared at Pitch, "Vat did you do to Jamie, Pitch?"

Pitch looked at him, surprise written all over his face, "What do you mean?" He looked over at the Globe, and laughed again, "It seems you have an interesting family tree, Frost."

Jack was having a hard time controlling his breath, he was near hyperventilating, "What- I don't understand."

Pitch smiled, "I think you understand more than you want to." He looked at the globe thoughtfully, "Jamie does look an awful lot like her, doesn't he?"

Jack couldn't help but feel a wave of fear, "What did you do?"

Pitch drank in Jack's fear. He loved all the fear of the Guardians, but Jack's was certainly his favorite. Almost child-like in it's intensity. He taunted Jack, "Jack was nimble/Jack was quick/Jack meant to see/If the ice was thick."

The Guardians were confused, why a nursery rhyme? Bunny glanced at Jack who looked paralyzed at Pitch's words.

Pitch continued, "The ice was thin/ and his sister fell/ slowly sinking/ till she drowned."

"NO!" Jack felt the tears burst out and stream down his face, "I-I saved her. You're lying!" The others were shocked by this outburst. Jack Frost _never_ cried.

Pitch shook his head, "You couldn't protect your own baby sister, the ice cracked faster then you thought it would." Pitch scowled, "You should've accepted my offer that day, Frost. Now I've taken _your_ family from you!"

The Guardians were absolutely lost. Jack had a sister? What had happened? What offer was Pitch talking about?

Jack turned to his fellow Guardians, he had almost faded completely. He looked up at them, and they could barely hold back tears. His eyes were full of sorrow and he looked absolutely terrified. Then he noticed their sad expressions and laughed, his face lightening up. Pitch jumped, not expecting this type of reaction. Jack tried to catch his breath, "S-sorry, just couldn't let the Guardian of Fun go out in a rain cloud."

Tooth shook her head, "Jack, we're gonna save you, hold on."

Jack looked straight at Tooth. She was heartbroken, she couldn't bear to lose another family member, not again. He smiled at her, "Burgess. The answer's in Burgess. It began there, it'll end there." Jack looked each of them in eye and then smiled at them all, "See ya soon!" He laughed, the sound echoing across the large room.

And with that Jack was gone.


	5. Convoluted Explanations

**A/N: *ahem* I would like to celebrate another first for me. I have my first followers! Yay! *confetti* Why have I never heard what a great feeling it is to know other people are reading your stuff?! That normally give a heart attack! Anyways, here's to you my first followers! *confetti and fireworks***

 **And the story continues...**

 _And with that Jack was gone._

()()()

The moment Jack disappeared, the Guardians found themselves sitting down in the meeting room in Santoff Claussen. Phil had gone out to get eggnog and more cookies, but rushed back when he heard the commotion in the room and the Guardians yelling "Jack!"

North turned around, noticing the change of scenery.

Bunny swallowed, "The past caught up to the future."

Tooth flew around, "But- But Jack!"

Phil looked confused. He mumbled a question that made North freeze.

"Say that again, Phil."

Phil didn't miss the fear in North's voice, but repeated his question carefully, _Who is Jack?_

"What did he say, North?" Tooth's violet eyes were full of anxiety.

North put a hand on Phil's shoulder, "Jack! Jack Frost! The boy who tried to break into Santoff Claussen multiple times! The boy who froze a month's supply of tools! The boy who defeated Pitch! Do you remember now?"

Phil shook his head in the universal symbol for _no_.

Everyone froze.

Bunny felt the lump in his throat grow. He repeated his earlier sentence, "The past caught up to the future."

Tooth shook her head, refusing to believe in it, "He can't just be _gone_."

She sat down, everything suddenly weighing down on her, "I remember his laugh, his smile, he's real!"

Bunny nodded, "He was-"

Tooth jumped up, "He _is_! He _is_ real! He's not gone!"

Bunny shook his head, "No, Tooth. He _is_ gone. At least in this future."

Tears welled up in Tooth's eyes. For a moment, she was unable to speak, but an overwhelming anger swept over her, "How dare he! Pitch will pay."

The others felt anger well in up them as well, though they kept it in better control than Tooth.

Sandy was confused though: a question mark, a snowflake, an arrow pointing at them, a memory box.

Bunny looked at North for a translation. North, thankfully, provided it, "Sandy has point. Why do we remember Jack? If this is future without him, shouldn't we-"

"Not remember?" Bunny thought about that for a moment, "Maybe the past caught up with future, but the future hasn't caught up to the past."

"I'm not following," North spoke for the rest of the Guardians who were equally confused.

Bunny tried to explain, "Whatever Jack did to become a spirit was just tampered with, so he's gone from the future. He was effected first since he was directly involved, but us... We had such a strong temporal presence in the future that we haven't caught up to the past events."

Tooth blinked, "I did not understand a word of that."

A blank look from Sandy.

"Say that again. But in words that we all understand."

Bunny sighed, "Okay... When you toss a stone into a pool, what happens?"

Tooth was getting frustrated, "Ripples, but what does that have to with Jack?"

"I'm getting to that. When you mess with time, it's like throwing a stone into a pool. You create ripples. The areas closest to the stone are effected first and eventually the whole pool is effected. When Pitch messed with the past, he threw the stone and now the ripples have effected everything." Bunny stopped, this is where things got a bit complicated. He took a breath and continued, "But, somehow, we ended up being a second stone."

He let that sink in for a second, "You see, we were with Jack when he disappeared. We _saw_ him disappear. It's hard to erase a memory when it's standing right in front of you being erased. When you throw two stones in a pool at opposite ends, the ripples interfere. _We're caught in the interference_."

Tooth's eyes widened, "If- if Jack hadn't made it to Santoff Claussen..."

"We wouldn't have remembered anything about him."

That chilling thought silenced everything for a few seconds. Tooth jumped up suddenly, startling everyone in the room, "So how do we get him back?"

Bunny started tapping his foot, an anxious habit, "That's the problem. We'd have to go to the past. Stop Pitch from doing whatever he did."

North shrugged, "That does not sound too hard."

Bunny laughed, a short, sarcastic one, "Oh yeah? Do you know when Jack lived? Do you know how he became a spirit? How did Pitch of all people manage to find out? What's to stop him from trying again? Time travel is not something to be taken lightly."

Sandy poked Tooth who looked at him in confusion, "What, Sandy?"

He sighed inwardly, another game of charades was up: snowflake, arrow, a tooth.

Tooth's eyes widened and she swelled with excitement, "Burgess!"

Bunny and North turned to her, surprised.

Tooth continued, "Burgess! Jack said the answer's in Burgess!" And with that she flew out the window.

 **A/N: First message at the bottom! *confetti* Just out of curiosity, did that explanation make any sense? XD My brain has a tendency to create things that make sense to it, but then totally confuse others...**


	6. No Way

**A/N: *sniff* I've gotten my first reviews! *confetti* They're so beautiful and- and *sobs* thank you. I'm so happy I feel like posting a lot of chapters!**

 **Here we go...**

 _"Burgess! Jack said the answer's in Burgess!" And with that she flew out the window._

()()()

"Next time, Tooth, wait for us!"

North had somewhat caught up to Tooth. The sleigh just slightly behind her.

Tooth didn't seem to hear as she flew in a straight bee-line towards Burgess.

Bunny was too terrified to look over the edge and see how close they were.

North landed the sleigh, roughly, and Bunny hopped onto solid ground gratefully.

Grateful, until his paws registered the snow.

"It's freezing!" The words came out of his mouth without thought, but the moment they were out he repeated them more carefully. "It's _freezing_."

He looked around. Burgess looked smaller than he remembered it, but it was still snow-covered.

North had landed in the woods near Jack's lake, as they called it.

The others seemed to have noticed that the woods were as frosted and white as ever. Tooth gasped when they came to the lake.

 _It was still frozen_.

Another question mark from Sandy. _What in the name of MiM was going on here?_

Bunny shook his head, "I have no idea, but I'm not sure it's good."

North hushed them, "Shh... do you hear that?"

" _Umm... Tooth?"_ Tooth froze. A small voice could be heard near the edge of the lake, _"Are memories supposed to look wrong?"_ A frustrated sigh, _"Ugh, no. That sounds weird."_

With a jolt, they realized that whoever was there was talking to himself.

They followed the sound of the voice. Correction, _herself_. The voice was unmistakably feminine.

" _So, you know how I saw my memories the other day? I couldn't help but get the strangest feeling that they were a little off."_

Another frustrated sigh, _"That sounds weird too! Get yourself together, Frost!"_

Frost. She just called herself Frost. Bunny's ears fell back, "H-How?"

A laugh, _"Maybe a bit of skating will help clear my head."_

Loud rustling came from the edge of the woods, then a girl flew out and onto the lake.

They stood there shocked. She was so young. She could've been the same age as Jamie and his friends.

Her black hair, lined with snowflakes, flew everywhere as she skated across the lake though her bangs still covered her eyes.

She was wearing a blue dress, Jack's color of blue, and a blue cloak that flew behind her as she skated across the lake.

That's when they noticed the skates. Wherever her skates touched, frost shot out. A loud whoop escaped her lips and she jumped.

The Wind picked her up and she continued skating as if skating on the wind was a totally normal thing.

The girl laughed again, a child's laugh so pure and happy that it gave the Guardians chills. Who was this kid?

The girl suddenly stopped, North's sleigh now in her sight. She looked around anxiously until she saw the Guardians.

The Guardians looked right back at her.

She landed, "Umm... Did I miss the meeting?" When none of them responded, she frowned, "How long have you guys been standing there?"

Tooth was the first to open her mouth, as usual, "Wh- who are you?"

The girl laughed, then saw the shock and confusion on their faces, "Wait. Are you being serious?"

Again, shock and silence.

The girl frowned again, "I'm Frost. _Holly_ Frost? Your new Guardian? I helped you take down Pitch? _Any_ of this ringing a bell?"


	7. This is Weird

**A/N: I was going to post more chapters (I know how much you guys want to know about Holly) but my twin just decided to actually watch Rise of the Guardians... SO I have an amazing excuse for not posting more.**

 **Enjoy while I go watch my inspiration...**

 _"I'm Frost._ Holly _Frost? Your new Guardian? I helped you take down Pitch?_ Any _of this ringing a bell?"_

()()()

"Holly Frost." Bunny repeated, the name not registering in his head.

Holly's eyes widened, "You really _don't_ remember me." She waved a hand in front of Sandy's face, "Has Pitch been messing with your minds or something?"

Sandy grabbed her arm and she pouted, "Hey! Let go!"

He formed a snowflake, then an arrow pointing at a holly leaf.

She frowned, "Who's Snowflake? And lemme go!" She wrenched her arm from Sandy's grip.

Sandy leaned forward and wiped the bangs away from her eyes. Her bright blue eyes. The eyes that looked just like Jack's.

Tooth saw someone else though. She gasped, "Jamie." Sandy looked closely at the girl. She may have had the wrong hair and eye color, but her resemblance to Jamie was uncanny.

"Ohh-kay, that was weird." She looked at them, her blue eyes sparkling with curiosity, "What's goin' on? Who's Snowflake and Jamie? Is Snowflake Jamie? Or is Jamie a Snowflake?"

North rubbed his temples, "This is going to be hard to believe..."

Holly's face scrunched up in concern, "You- you don't even remember..." She shook her head, a smile coming back to her face, "Nevermind. Try me."

North took a deep breath, "'Snowflake' is Sandy's symbol for Jack Frost, the Spirit of Winter."

Holly held up her hands, "Hold it. _Jack_ Frost?"

North nodded, "Yes. You see, Pitch went to the past to prevent Jack from ever becoming Spirit of Winter."

"Mmmhmm... so this Jack Frost was erased from history and this must be an alternate universe where _I'm_ the spirit of winter instead!"

The look of surprise on their faces made Holly laugh again, "C'mon guys, just 'cause I'm young doesn't mean I hate reading science fiction books!"

"Whaddya mean by 'alternate universe'?"

"You know, like a different future. Kinda like a break in the road. Going one way leads you one way, but if you go back and change your direction, you go in a completely different way."

Confusion made her face scrunch up, "But then... why do you guys suddenly remember him _now_? You never made mention of this 'Jack Frost' for as long as I've lived."

Bunny took over, "Ya see, Pitch _just_ erased him a few hours ago, so-"

"This is the parallel time to the other future."

"No- well... actually, yeah."

Holly smiled at Bunny's stumbling.

She turned to the rest of them, "So how do we fix this?"

Tooth frowned, "That's just it. We don't know."

Holly rocked on her heels, "Well... he obviously came from Burgess 300 years ago. So-"

"Wait. How da ya know that?"

Holly shrugged, "Well, _I'm_ from Burgess and I was made 300 years ago, so he must have been from here and made the same time as well."

Suddenly Holly froze, "No. No, no, no, no. That can't be possible."

She pulled something from her cloak. A memory box with a picture of a brown-eyed/brown haired girl. She looked at it like it could burn her.

Tooth stared wide eyed at the memory box, "Your memory box."

Holly swallowed and looked at them, her blue eyes wide with fear, "The only other person at the lake with me that day was my brother." Tears threatened to spill, "His name was Jack."

 **A/N: Yes. I really did just do that. Quick note before I get a million questions regarding her name. I named her Holly based on a fairy tale I heard about Mother Holly, another bringer of winter. You will notice in my later stories that I will never give Jack's sister the same name. I think surprises are fun, don't you?**


	8. Broken Ice

**A/N: So sorry that this chapter had technical difficulties, but, again, I'm new at this website so I guess some problems were destined to happen.**

 **Now to my real notes: I haven't found out how to send messages yet, so I'll reply to some of the reviews here. (If I missed yours, sorry, I'm not very good at keeping track of things as my twin will very heartily testify)**

 **ElektraVamp05: I'm glad you like it! The idea came to me based on how Jack would act if his sister had been the one to fall in the lake. (Cue foreboding clouds) Then the rest kinda just fell into place. Thank goodness my explanation made sense to at least one person. That was like the only thing that hadn't really fallen into place.**

 **Unlucky Alis: Heh heh, I see how that would be a little surprising, but there's more to Holly then meets the eye. Like, maybe what I'm about to reveal in this chapter...**

 _Tears threatened to spill, "His name was Jack."_  
()()()

Everything clicked in that moment for Holly Frost.

She dropped the memory box in her shock, "That's why that memory looked wrong. It shouldn't have happened like that."

She whimpered, "But- but that means-" Tooth's heart broke when she saw the tears fall from Holly's eyes.

Tooth wrapped her arms around the little girl, "Shh... it's okay. We'll get him back."

Holly pushed away, "No! You don't understand!" The temperature dropped and Holly put her hand to her head, "Of course, you guys don't remember me telling you how I became a spirit." She bit her lip, "Did Jack ever tell you?"

They shook their heads, Jack didn't talk about his past very often and when he did it was very vague.

Holly shook her own head, "Nevermind, Jack never did like talking about the past."

Holly turned her back to them, facing the lake, and took a deep breath, "We- we went skating that day. He was the best skater in Burgess. He made me a pair of skates for Christmas and I made him promise to take me skating. It was an early Spring, but he took me skating anyways." She smiled, "'Can't break a promise to my little princess.'"

She took another deep breath and continued, "He told me not to skate until he had checked the ice, but- but I didn't listen."

A feeling of dread settled over them. Pitch's words echoed in their heads: _Jack was nimble/ Jack was quick/ Jack meant to see/ If the ice was thick_

"I pulled my skates on immediately and went onto the lake. I- I was so scared when I heard the ice crack."

Tooth put her hand to her mouth, Jack had never told them about this.

"I think Jack was scared too, but he tried to hide it for me. He told me not to look down, to look at him." She closed her eyes, a shiver running down her spine, "I was so scared. He said he knew, but that I was going to be alright. I wasn't going to fall in. He said that we were gonna have a little fun instead." The last part was practically choked out. She stopped for minute and swallowed back more tears that were threatening to spill. The others felt like they knew what was going to happen, but they needed to hear it.

Holly took a deep breath and continued, "I said we weren't going to have fun." She mimicked her brother's voice, "'Would I trick you?'" Her own voice, "Yes! You always play tricks. He laughed, 'Not this time. I promise.'" She looked down at the ground, "He promised that I'd be okay. I just had- just had to- believe in him" A sob racked her small body, "So I believed. With all my heart and soul I believed."

 _You may find this hard to believe_

 _Try me_

The Guardians stared at Holly Frost. She was small, her hair a mess, tears streaming down her face. Such a young girl, with such an incredible center. _Belief_.

The Wind blew gently at her face, wiping at the tears that had spilled.

Holly sniffled, "Jack said we'd play hopscotch, like we played everyday. I forgot about the ice for a second. He took one step." She took a step, " _One._ " She pretended to mess it up just as Jack had that day, "Woah!" A smile spread across her face, remembering how her brother had made her laugh, even when the ice was cracking, " _Two._ " Another step, " _Three!_ " She leaped and turned back to the Guardians, totally lost in the memory now.

She knelt down, pretending to pick up something, "He grabbed his staff, and told me it was my turn." She took one step towards the Guardians, " _One_." Another step, " _That's it, two_." She leaned forward with the imaginary staff in her hand, " _Three._ " She sank to her knees, "That's when the ice cracked."

Snow fell on the Guardians as Holly Frost cried, "He tried to jump in after me. Something held him back and he yelled. The last thing I heard was my name screamed into the darkness."

()()()

None of the Guardians' eyes were dry by the end of Holly's tale. Bunny was in state of shock and horror as was North. Sandy was silently crying and Tooth was openly sobbing. Holly looked up at the moon now shining in the night sky, and took a deep shaky breath, "I don't think that's how it was supposed to have happened though."

She picked up the memory box, "When I first saw the memory, I couldn't help but feel like that's not how it happened." She stared at the golden box in her hands, "Pitch was what held Jack back that day. He was the one who made the ice crack before it should have."

Bunny remembered the odd conversation between Jack and Pitch:

 _What did you do to me?_

 _I saved your life!_

He felt his heart stop. From the silence from everybody else, they must have guessed it too.

Holly looked at them pleadingly, "Now do you understand? It's not as simple as 'getting him back'." Another shaky breath, "He has to _die._ "


	9. A Silver Locket

**A/N: I'd be lying if I said that Holly was an easy character to write. Honestly, half the things she does totally surprise me (and I'm the one writing this story!) so if you feel she acts out of character... I'm beginning to think that's actually just what she does.**

 _"He has to_ die _."_

()()()

Tooth felt anger well up in her immediately, " _How dare he!_ " Tears spilled down her face, "How could Pitch do this?"

Holly bit her lip, her hand slipping into one of her cloak pockets, "I don't think he knew what would happen."

"You're defending him?!" Tooth couldn't believe what she was hearing. No one touched her family with impunity.

Holly looked down at the ground, "I'm not very strong, you know." She dug the toe of her skate into the snow, "The only reason we won that battle against Pitch was that I reminded him of something that he had lost and forgotten."

She pulled a silver locket from her cloak pocket, it looked vaguely familiar.

She opened up the locket. A girl with black hair like her own smiled mischievously at her.

"You guys saw a monster. I saw someone broken. You saw someone who fed on fear. I saw someone who just needed someone else to believe in him. So I did."

She looked at Bunny then quickly looked down, "Easter Sunday. You yelled at me 'cause you thought that I was with Pitch." She frowned, "Actually, I was hunting down this locket, and Pitch just kinda followed me."

She closed the locket and put it away, "You already know what that locket means to him. You've seen it before."

Holly looked straight at Tooth. Tooth knew who was in that locket. Tooth didn't want it to, but she could feel her anger shrink a bit.

Holly frowned, "You see, Pitch may have wanted to take me away from Jack, but he forgot how it feels to lose someone you love. I reminded him of that pain." Her voice shrank to a whisper, "If Jack and I had been a bit more scared that day, we wouldn't have gone to the lake."

She looked at the shadows growing behind the trees, "Fear doesn't always harm. It can protect."

Holly walked over to the shadows, pushing past the Guardians.

She reached out and took the grey hand, "Pitch."

Pitch couldn't even look at the girl he had made fall into that lake. He'd come to this future to find himself still defeated, still hiding in the shadows, Jack's instructions still echoing in his ears. He'd found himself in a room in his lair. A room he never entered. A room full of memories. In that room, a single frosted holly leaf rested by a leather case that had held something more precious and more painful than anything Pitch had ever known.

Holly tried again, "I knew you'd come soon." She pulled the locket out again and put it into Pitch's hand.

Pitch looked at the precious, painful object then looked at her. She was looking at him with a mixture of sorrow and pity. No fear, no anger, just an overwhelming sadness. Pitch remembered another little girl looking at him like that. "You look like her," he whispered.

Holly smiled, "I know."

She stood between the Guardians and Pitch, acting as a barrier, "So, now that we're all here, let's go find Jack."


	10. A Grave Matter

**A/N: More reviews! *sniff* They're so beautiful.**

 **PhGim.7: You'll just have to read and find out! MWAH HA HA :P**

 **Unlucky Alis: Have you ever read the books? The backstories are _amazing_. And that doesn't sound weird! It makes total sense! XD You have put into words what was in my head.**

 **Onto the chapter!**

 **()()()**

 _"So, now that we're all here, let's go find Jack."_

 **()()()**

The Guardians just stared at Pitch and Holly. Bunny spoke first, "I am not going with _him_." Pitch winced.

Holly frowned, "Pitch is coming with us whether you like it or not."

A question mark from Sandy who was shooting Pitch a murderous glare.

Holly sighed, "How else do you expect him to never do it again?"

She looked at the Guardians, face set in determination, "If he doesn't come, he'll remember nothing and the same thing may happen again. Besides, I have something to show him."

Holly gazed up at the Moon, then at Pitch, "I'm sorry, but you have to come whether you want to or not."

And with that, Holly threw a snowglobe down at their feet and they all fell into it.

()()()

Holly was the only one who landed on her feet, the others unceremoniously trying to stand up.

Bunny glared at North, "North. You gave a snowglobe to the spirit of winter."

North stood up and shrugged, "Iz not my fault. Iz different time, remember?"

Bunny grumbled, "Fine, but you better not get any ideas 'bout givin' one to..." Bunny realized he'd been about to say Jack and his mind instantly flew back to what they were doing. He fell silent as he took in his surroundings.

The Moon was blocked by clouds where they were at, but the Guardians and Pitch were able to register that they were in a graveyard.

Holly spread her arms out, "Welcome to the Burgess Historical Graveyard!"

She turned to Pitch, "This is the first thing I have to show you." A glance at the Guardians, "This concerns you too, so pay attention."

And with that, she walked up to two graves covered in snow.

"Wind?"

The Wind blew the snow away and at that moment the Moon broke through, shining down on the two graves:

 _Holly Overland_

 _Loving Daughter and Sister_

 _She was taken from us too soon_

 _We will never forget your smile_

 _1703-1712_

 _Jackson Overland_

 _Loving Son and Brother_

 _Died of a broken heart_

 _May you find your laugh again_

 _1695-1713_

"They never did find her body, but they buried her nonetheless," Holly brushed a hand against her grave. Another cloud passed over the Moon, drowning the graveyard in darkness once again.

She closed her eyes as she knelt at her brother's grave, "I remember the boy who never smiled. I woke up at the lake, learned my name, flew to the closest village, only to be walked through." She shivered, "I went back to the lake. There was a boy there. Brown eyes, brown hair, a staff by his side. He just stood there like a statue. I walked closer to him," Holly's head bent down, "Only to see tears.

"He went there at least once a week. I became curious about him, following him around. I liked him," She shook her head, "I didn't know who he was, but I felt like I knew him."

The Guardians and Pitch realized how strong Jack and Holly's bond must have been that even after her own death she felt drawn to her brother.

"It felt wrong that he never smiled. I felt like smiling and laughing was just a part of who he was, though I didn't remember him ever doing it. I wanted to make him smile or laugh or something. I wanted him to get back a piece of who he was. But, I never could."

Her eyes opened again, "Then one week, he didn't come. He never came again."

She put her hands together and blew on them. When she opened her hands, a frost flower fell onto Jack's grave.

After she made one more she whispered, "I've brought flowers to his grave for 300 years." She stood up and turned to Pitch who just stared at the graves. She pointed at Jack's, "Died of a broken heart. I always wondered what that meant."

She looked at her own and her arm fell to her side, "I know now."

North stared at the little girl who had seen so much, a child who had lost everything, and yet she still wondered, still hoped, still dreamed, still remembered. She still believed.

She walked over to Pitch, "You died of a broken heart, too, didn't you?"

Pitch didn't resist her when she opened his hand, the silver locket shining as the Moon broke through the clouds.

"When your family dies, you break," Holly turned to Tooth and Bunny who knew too much about what she was talking about. Suddenly Holly smiled, a bright, innocent smile that only a child can give, "But broken things can be fixed."

She closed Pitch's hand around the locket, "What would she want you to do?"

Tears fell on her small hands. She got up on her tiptoes and planted a gentle kiss on the boogeyman's cheek, much to everyone's surprise.

"Broken things can be fixed," she repeated, "Now let's go fix time."

 **EDIT: I changed the year on Jack's grave to one year after his sister's death versus three years, for obvious reasons. (i.e. picturing Jack at 20 is hard, it's more heartbreaking this way, it sounds better)**


	11. Heads-Up!

**A/N: I have just become a favorited author! *confetti, fireworks, more confetti* I'm so happy.**

 **egree198: *sniff* Really? 'Scuse me, *sniff* got something in my eye. This chapter is extra long, just for you.**

 **For egree198!**

 **()()()**

 _"Now let's go fix time."_

 **()()()**

"How do ya propose we time-travel? It's not that simple ya know."

Pitch spoke, quietly, "We'll need his memories."

Tooth's feathers spread out in surprise, "You went back to Tooth Palace." She could barely keep her fury under control.

Pitch looked up, his gold eyes shining from recent tears, "Did Jack ever give his memories back to you?"

Tooth's eyes widened, shocked, "No. He didn't."

Pitch shook his head, "Of course he wouldn't give them back. He's scared of losing them."

Holly nodded, her hand raised to her cloak pocket where her own memory box was, "Losing your memory once is enough."

Pitch continued, "I used the memories from his nightmares."

"You gave Jack nightmares?"

Holly frosted the boomerang that came flying at Pitch, "No!" The temperature dropped at least 10 degrees, "Don't. Just _don't_." She glared at them and they began to see how, just maybe, this little girl was a force to be reckoned with.

She turned to Pitch, lips pressed firmly together. She frowned, "I don't approve of it, but we need to know everything and you're the only one who knows."

Pitch sighed, "Jack didn't _need_ me to give him nightmares. They smell fear you know." Pitch frowned, "Jack may not be scared of me, but he _is_ scared of a lot of things." He turned to Holly, "Unlike you. I can't feel anything from you."

Holly smiled, "Oh yeah, I forget that you're from a different future." She shrugged, "I am scared of something." She put a hand to her heart, "It's just not the type of fear you're used to sensing."

Pitch looked at Holly for a while, confusion spread across his face, "You're right, it is different." He shook himself out of his thoughts, "Anyways, I used Jack's nightmares of his memories plus a shadow tunnel to travel to the past."

Sandy shuddered unconsciously, shadow-traveling was anything _but_ pleasant.

Holly scoffed, "It can't have been that easy."

Pitch nodded agreement, "It takes a lot of energy. The farther back, the more energy."

Holly's smile fell, "So that's why you didn't go back to them."

Pitch's head bowed, "My past is unchangeable."

Holly stared off at the lake, "But the future isn't." Her face became set in determination.

Holly's eyebrows furrowed as she tried to figure something out. Sandy tried hard not to laugh or maybe cry, her expression was just like Jack's.

She snapped her fingers, causing them all to jump, "A snowglobe!"

She turned back to them, "Both shadow tunnels and snowglobes are portals, so they should be interchangeable."

"Tooth Palace!" She threw her snowglobe on the ground, and they all fell through again.

* * *

Bunny rubbed his backside, "A heads-up would be nice."

Holly smirked, "Hey, I'm taking you to Tooth Palace. How's that?"

Again, her similarity to Jack set them off a bit.

She noticed their stares and coughed uncomfortably, "I remind you of Jack, don't I?"

She didn't even wait for them to nod or say "yes", she just nodded in agreement, "I used to stare in the mirror for hours and pretend that Jack was looking back at me."

Holly's memory box began to glow slightly in her cloak pocket.

She giggled, "Then Jack would come in and ask me why I was talking to myself."

Tooth put a hand on Holly's shoulder, "So you lost your memories too?"

Holly nodded, "I knew I was missing something. Like- like a piece of me."

Tooth stroked Holly's hair and Holly smiled, "You wanted to give them back to me immediately, but I decided to wait."

The Guardians and Pitch stared at Holly whose smile broadened, "Yeah, that was your reactions pretty much." Her hand went to her cloak pocket, "I figured that if MiM took them away, there was a good reason. So, I should just wait until the time seemed right to look at them."

She giggled again, "Though I was tempted a couple of ti-ugh. Dhady Tuth!"

A flurry of wings flew at Holly's face as Baby Tooth stuck her little hands into Holly's mouth.

Tooth cupped her little helper in her hands, "Baby Tooth!"

Holly held out her hands and gave the little fairy a hug, "Long time no see!"

Baby Tooth chattered about a rise of cavities making her too busy and Holly laughed, "But sugar is so delicious!"

Baby Tooth shook a finger at her and Holly held up her hands, "Okay okay, you win."

She held up her memory box, "Do you remember the box that this was next to?"

Baby Tooth nodded emphatically, swooning slightly as she chattered about the gorgeous teeth inside of it.

Holly couldn't hold back a chuckle, "Well I need those 'gorgeous' teeth. Could you bring them to me?"

Baby Tooth hesitated, but when Tooth gave an approving nod, she flew off.

Tooth couldn't hide her curiosity, "How did you know where Jack's teeth were?"

Holly's blue eyes stared into Tooth's violet ones, "How could I forget the face of my boy who never smiled actually _smiling_?"

()()()

Holly fell silent after that and when she was silent, everyone else was too. The silence hung over them as Holly just stood there. Waiting? Thinking? Remembering?

Bunny couldn't figure the little girl out. She was as unpredictable and mysterious as her brother.

North was beginning to understand slightly how Holly worked. She was her center through and through.

When Tooth stroked Holly's hair, she realized how the girl had leaned into her touch like she was used to it. Baby Tooth seemed to know Holly really well, too. Tooth wondered if she had taken Holly in like one of her own, she felt protective towards the little girl.

Sandy didn't even try to figure Holly out. He knew who she was. A child. A child full of joy, memories, wonder, hope, dreams, and belief.

Pitch had known that too since he had first seen the girl. Her fear had been intoxicating, but- but it wasn't a fear for herself. It was fear for her brother. Sure, she had been scared of the ice, but she had been also scared that her brother would get hurt because of her. She was one-of-kind.

Baby Tooth's chatter broke the silence as she dropped the memory box into Holly's hands.

A brown-eyed/brown-haired boy smirked at them and Holly smiled back, "Jack, here we come."

Holly closed her eyes and started to glow.

They all backed away slightly when Holly's feet stopped touching the ground.

Her eyes opened and there was silver flowing through them. Her voice was clear and pure, "I am Holly Frost, spirit of Winter, of cold and ice. I summon the power bestowed upon me by MiM, the power of Winter and Wind." She pulled the snowglobe out and held the memories in her other hand, "I believe, I believe, I believe." They began to glow, "I believe in Jackson Overland. I believe in Jack Frost. I believe in my brother." Soon Holly, the snowglobe, and the memories glowed so bright that the Guardians and Pitch had to look away.

"Heads-up, rabbit!"

And they fell into the portal that had opened up under their feet.


	12. Broken Center

**A/N: I wasn't gonna post this until tomorrow, but your pleas for more have been heard. Plus, I'm really psyched about this chapter. Grab some tissues, 'cause it's gonna be a crier. (At least, after writing this I couldn't believe that I wrote something so heartbreaking.)**

 **Side note: For all you book fans, William is indeed named after William Joyce (hee hee, that makes me warm and fuzzy on the inside)**

 **Onwards ho!**

 **()()()**

 _And they fell into the portal that had opened up under their feet._

 **()()()**

Holly gasped and doubled over. Pitch was at her side, immediately, holding her up so she wouldn't fall. Holly leaned on him, catching her breath, "Dang, that took more energy than I thought it would."

The others looked around themselves.

Sandy frowned, sand snow falling over his head.

North translated, "Sandy iz right. Shouldn't it be winter?" The forest was green, spring flowers blossoming.

Holly looked at the snowglobe and memories in her hands like she was about to take them out of here, but then she sighed, "I told you. I had something to show you." She licked her lips, "It's... hard to put into words. You have to see it."

She pushed a branch down and they could see the lake, still frozen, even in Spring. A boy stood there with his back to them. He leaned on his shepherd's staff.

Tooth's hands flew to her mouth, "That's _Jack_."

Holly only nodded. Her focus was entirely on her brother.

Another voice startled them, "Jack!" A blonde boy ran into the clearing by the lake, his head turning right and left while he looked, "Jack, where are you? Your mom is worried out of her mind!"

Jack either couldn't hear the boy or he was ignoring him. His gaze never left the lake.

Holly gasped when she saw the blonde boy, "Will!"

Tooth tilted her head, "Will?"

"William Bennett," frost laced it's way on Holly's cheeks, Tooth wondered absently if that was how a winter spirit blushed, "He was Jack's best friend. I- I used to have a huge crush on him."

Tooth held back a giggle, definitely a blush.

Will saw Jack and sighed, "Not again."

He walked over to where his friend was, "Jack?" No reaction.

Will bit his lip, debating what to do. He walked up behind him, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder.

Jack jumped, gasping. He turned around quickly, nearly hitting Will with his staff.

Will jumped back, "It's me, Will!"

Jack looked up and Holly heard sharp inhales from her companions. She hadn't seen him herself for 300 years, but it was still as heartbreaking as ever.

He looked like he hadn't slept in days, tears flowing freely down his face. But the thing that really broke their hearts was his empty eyes. There was no hope, no wonder, no _fun_. His center was completely broken.

Will shook his friend, "Have you been here the whole time?! Your mother is worried sick!"

Jack pushed away from Will, "Leave me alone." His voice was thick from tears.

Will just stared at him. He bit his lip again and then shook his head, "You know, she wouldn't want you to be like this."

Jack froze. Holly did too.

Will continued, "She always said she loved your laugh, your smile. Jack, she loved you."

Jack turned around, "Don't talk about her!"

"Why not?!" Will shot back, "You can't just bury yourself, Jack!"

Will's voice became pleading, "Jack, you _are_ going to end burying yourself if you keep this up. You hardly eat, hardly sleep, you can't _live_ like this!"

Jack shook his head, "I don't deserve to live." He stared off at the lake, not really seeing it.

Will and the rest of the Guardians froze. Jack's head hung low, "I- I couldn't save her, Will. She believed in me, and- and I let her down," Jack's sobs echoes across the empty lake, "I make a mess of everything."

Will's eyes softened, "Jack-"

Jack stared at the ground, "I promised that she'd be alright. I promised to protect her. Will, I was her guardian!" Jack was breathing hard, practically hyperventilating, "I'm not a guardian." They all winced at that.

Holly was crying, silently, but they could see her shoulders shaking.

Will's eyes widened, "Jack, it wasn't your fau-"

"Yes, it was!" Jack yelled at his friend, "She died _because of me_." Jack fell to his knees, sobbing into his hands, "She died, Will, because I couldn't save her."

Will swallowed nervously. He was so worried for his friend. He had been heart-broken at Holly's death, but he had accepted it and moved on. Jack hadn't been able to do that and Will was beginning to realize that he never would.

Will stood there while his friend cried, awkwardly shuffling his feet. Eventually, after a few minutes, he knelt down and put a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Jack, please, don't bury yourself. Your mom still needs you. I- I'm still your friend, I still need you."

Jack just shook his head and Will felt his heart leap into his throat. Jack had no will to live.

They all watched silently as Will helped his friend to his feet and helped Jack get back home.

"He died the next day," Holly whispered, as soon as they were out of sight. She didn't even bother to wipe at the tears freezing on her cheeks, "I never saw him again."


	13. One-of-a-Kind

**A/N: Is it wrong that your reviews made me warm and fuzzy on the inside?**

 **egree198: I kinda am adding more Pitch's story, at least emotional wise, but Pitch actually did lose someone dear to him. (Oh my goodness, I should totally try writing that one day.) Holly has to be one of the most favorite characters I've ever written. And yes, more feels for ya.**

 **DawnoftheShadows: *sniff* Now I'm gonna cry! Also, I'm so sorry, but I may or not have laughed a little hysterically at your review.**

 **Unlucky Alis: Yeah, it is pretty emotionally confusing (and I'm the author!)**

 **Thank you all! Here's the next one!**

 **()()()**

 _"I never saw him again."_

 **()()()**

Holly turned to Pitch. Anger shone on her face for the first time, "You made him like that."

Pitch backed away, but Holly continued, "You broke him. You may have saved his life, but you killed his heart."

She looked down, a tear fell to the ground. Pitch's hands clenched and unclenched, he knew he deserved to hear this. He nearly doubled over though when he felt the stab of fear.

He stared at Holly, "I understand now."

Her head shot up and Pitch looked down, not wanting to meet her eyes, "It's not your fault, either." She shuffled her feet nervously as Tooth shot her a worried look. Did Holly blame herself for her brother's death? Pitch's voice dropped to a whisper, "It's mine." Those two words were full of sorrow and blame and hurt.

Holly took a deep breath, "I'm sorry."

Pitch looked at Holly in shock, "You have nothing to be sorry for."

Holly tilted her head, sorrow on her face, "It's... hard to relive certain memories." She clenched her hands then opened them and took Pitch's hand,"It's not your fault that your family is gone either."

Pitch met her eyes, gold meeting blue. Holly didn't falter, she looked up at the Nightmare King with determination, "I forgive you."

Pitch felt a weight removed from his mind at those three words.

The Guardians couldn't do anything but stare with amazement at Holly.

Holly held Pitch's gaze for a few more seconds, then sighed, "You know you can't come with us to our next destination."

Pitch nodded hesitantly.

A smile tugged at Holly's lips, "Time-travel is certainly very odd."

Pitch smiled, a small one, but a smile nonetheless, "It certainly is."

Holly turned to the rest of the Guardians, digging the toe of her skate into the dirt, "Umm... do you mind if I borrow power from you guys? That jump took more than I thought it would."

"Of course!" Tooth was eager to help.

"Wait!" Pitch fumbled for something in his cloak. He held out the silver locket, "Take it, you'll need it."

A full-out smile spread across Holly's face, "Thank you, Pitch."

Pitch shook his head, "No, thank _you_ , Holly Frost."

The Guardians formed a circle with Holly in the middle.

She began to draw power from the Guardians, "I call on power of Hope, on the power of Wonder, on the power of Memories, on the power of Dreams," strands of green, red, pink, and gold came from their respective Guardian, "I believe, I believe, I believe." A bright blue mingled with the other colors. She pulled out the memories and snowglobe again, "I believe in Jackson Overland. I believe in Jack Frost. I believe in my brother." She nodded to Pitch, who nodded back.

She threw the snowglobe at the ground, "Heads-up!"


	14. Big Brother Little Sister

**A/N: HA HA HA 25 reviews! *confetti* WHOO HOOO! Half the time I can't decide if I want to sob or laugh hysterically. You guys are awesome. Extra happy chapter for ya.**

()()()

 _She threw the snowglobe at the ground, "Heads-up!"_

()()()

The Guardians felt the lurch and the slight drain of energy made them want to hurl, how had Holly withstood it?

Holly fell to her knees and retched, apparently she couldn't.

Bunny oriented himself and bounded over to the little girl. She was clutching her sides and gasping, "Dang, that hurt."

Bunny knelt down and helped her up. She leaned on him, heavily, until Bunny just decided to pick her up.

Holly resisted weakly, "Put me down you huge rabbit!"

"Notta chance ya little ankle-biter. You're drained."

"I'll bite your ankles," Holly grumbled.

She gave up though and settled into Bunny's arms, "Mush, rabbit, mush!"

Bunny rolled his eyes and joined the other Guardians.

He was not expecting the snow, "Gah! My feet are freezing!"

Holly smiled, "Wish I could take credit, but this snow isn't mine."

Confusion spread on Bunny's face, "Whaddya mean?"

Holly tried to prop herself up in Bunny's arms, but failed. She leaned back, "Here, move me up to the trees."

Bunny moved her over to the trees. She pulled down the branches, "We should be coming down that path any second now..."

The Guardians strained their eyes, the coming dusk making it hard to see.

"Oh come on, sis, Easter is so much better than Christmas!"

The familiar voice almost made their hearts stop. Bunny snickered, so Jack liked Easter, hmm?

"Rotten brother! Give me back my ribbon! And no way is Easter better than Christmas!"

"Say please..." A moment of silence, "And also say that Easter is better than Christmas."

Holly and Jack bounded over the hill. Jack held a red ribbon right above his sister's head and she was trying to get it back from him.

Holly pouted then a smug look spread on her face, "You know... it's only Christmas Eve..."

Jack stopped, "So?"

Holly smiled triumphantly, "So you can still get on the naughty list." And with that she stood on her tiptoes and took the ribbon out of Jack's hands.

Jack held up his hands, "Fine. I guess you win that one."

Holly playfully punched her brother's arm.

Jack grabbed his arm in mock pain, "Augh! Now you're going to be on the naughty list for hurting your sweet and loving brother."

Holly rolled her eyes, "Suck it up, buttercup."

Jack fell to the ground, "I see a light coming!"

Holly continued walking down the path, ignoring her brother.

Jack went limp on the ground, and Holly stopped. She ran over to her brother, "Jack? Jack, are you okay?"

Jack immediately sat up, grabbing his sister in his arms. Holly screamed then started laughing as Jack started tickling her, "Stop! Stop!" She gasped for breath.

Jack stopped, and Holly tackled him with a hug, "Don't do that to me! I was scared that I had really hurt you!"

Jack looked at his sister in surprise, "You could never hurt me, Holly."

Holly buried her face into her brother's cloak, "But- but what if-"

Jack pulled his sister to where she could see him, "Hey, hey, no 'what-ifs'. You could never hurt me, Holly." He wiped her tears away, "You could never hurt me because you're my little sister. No matter how much you annoy me," Holly giggled, "You'll always be my little sister and I'll always be your big brother."

Holly hugged her brother and Jack wrapped his arms around her too.

Jack suddenly picked her up and threw her over his shoulders, "Now come on! Mom's probably waiting for us back home."

The Guardians watched as the two siblings went back up the path, laughing.

Holly smiled, "You guys needed to see him as he was before- before everything."

The Guardians were in a kind of shock, Jack had been so gentle with his sister. He really cared about Holly.

Holly snuggled up against Bunny, her eyes drooping, "Little sister; Big brother, they were our words for 'I love you and I'll never let you go.'"

And with that her eyes closed, a smile on her lips as she dreamed about the past.


	15. Time Travel is Odd

**A/N: Ahhh! I'm so sorry I didn't post anything yesterday! I'll try to post two today to make for everything. Thanks for all the awesome reviews on this story and my other one too! (Conspicuous advertising there.)**

 **Here's a chapter!**

 **()()()**

 _And with that her eyes closed, a smile on her lips as she dreamed about the past._

 **()()()**

Tooth stood next to Bunny, both of them looking with wonder at the little girl. Tooth pushed back a lock of hair that was in Holly's face, "She's amazing."

Bunny only nodded. He could feel the warmth of Holly's steady hope. It never flickered, never wavered. It was a constant flame inside of her. He wondered if the others could feel their centers in her.

North was staring at the lake. Both of the children had died there, in one past or another. Was that why it was always frozen? North was beginning to see that there were differences between the two siblings. Big differences. Holly was more trusting, more open, unlike Jack who didn't open up easily to anyone. _Except children,_ North realized, _Jack was more open around children._

Sandy was thinking about the same thing, but mostly about the relationship between the two. Holly was used to being the younger sister, trusting and loving. Jack was used to being the older brother, strong and brave. Sandy could see that, without the other, they were both missing pieces of themselves. Holly needed someone to believe in and Jack needed someone to protect.

Sandy turned to North: Holly leaf, snowflake, question mark. He looked sad.

North shook his head, "I don't know vhat to do about them either."

Bunny looked up, "Whaddya mean?"

North turned back to the lake, he didn't want to face what had to happen.

Bunny repeated his question, "North, what do ya mean you don't know what to do about them?"

North sighed, "Vhe cannot save both of them."

Bunny felt a lump in his throat.

Tooth bit her lip, "Why not? Why can't we just take Holly off of the thin ice? Or- or prevent them going to the lake in the first place?"

Sandy shook his head, sadly: a square and a 1.

North nodded, "That would put us back to square one. Who know's vhat kind of future that vould make."

Tooth shook her head, refusing to give in, "It could only be good. We won't know until we try."

"One vith no vinter spirit?" North asked, "Vithout vinter spirit could we defeat Pitch?" He looked at Holly, "Could vhe even time-travel without her?"

Tooth wiped at the tears that had welled up in her eyes, "We can't just let one of them _die_."

Bunny looked at the sleeping girl in his arms. She looked so peaceful almost like- like she was- He shuddered, shaking himself out of his dark thoughts.

Sandy knew how Tooth felt, but he also knew how North felt. They couldn't just change _history_. It would change the future to who knew what?

He made a snowflake. The snowflake joined a tooth, an egg, a present, and lastly himself.

North smiled, "Jack vhill have us!"

Tooth thought about the few months that they'd spent with their newest guardian. Jack had brought them closer together.

Sandy tugged on North's sleeve, the old Cossack had been ignoring him. Snowflake, a heart broken in half then a snowflake with a whole heart.

Tooth felt a warmth in her heart. North laughed, "Sandy is right!" He gave the little man a huge slap on the back nearly knocking him over, "At least this way, Jack's heart vhill not be broken!"

"Hmm... are you so sure?"

The slick voice made them freeze. Bunny huddled protectively over Holly, angling her away from the boogeyman's sight, "What are you doing here, Pitch?"

Pitch stepped out of the shadows, "I admit, I'm a bit surprised to see you all here. I take it I succeeded then?"

Bunny snarled, "I knew you couldn't be trusted. You won't touch them."

Pitch laughed, "Oh come now. Obviously I already have or you wouldn't be here, now would you? Plus, your white-haired tag-a-long isn't among you."

North stepped forward, "Vhe are here to fix time." He tried to remind Pitch.

Pitch rolled his eyes, "What makes you think you can?"

He stepped back into the shadows, avoiding a golden whip. He came out behind them, "Maybe next time I'll approach Jack before he got into this whole Guardian mess." A smirk spread across his face, "I could use an apprentice."

Tooth gave a battle cry and flew at Pitch who easily dodged her. "You try to fight me in a forest in the middle of the night? Come now little fairy, you should know better!"

Tooth fought back tears, "Holly trusted you! She believed in you! And this is how you repay her?"

Pitch stopped, confused, "Holly? Holly who?"

Tooth gasped.

 _You know you can't come with us to our next destination._

 _Time-travel certainly is very odd_

Of course. This Pitch was the Pitch from their future, the one bent on revenge. The one who hadn't seen the consequences of his actions.

Pitch shook his head, shaking away the doubts in his head, "No one believes in me." He bared his teeth, "Thanks to you and your new _guardian_. He'll regret that he ever choose _your_ side. I'll take away what he cares about most!"

Tooth gave a quick glance at Holly, and Pitch noticed the odd position the Easter Bunny was in. He smiled, "Now, now, what do we have here?"

Sandy stepped in-between Pitch and Bunny, a wall above his head.

Pitch just scoffed, and went into the shadows.

Sandy's eyes went wide in surprise and all the Guardians were on high alert.

Pitch's laugh echoed in the forest, it sounded like it was everywhere.

Bunny turned quickly to the laugh that sounded on his right not noticing the shadow behind him move as Pitch stepped out quietly. _Two Guardians in one day_ , he raised a nightmare arrow, identical to the one that had hit the Sandman. He smiled, and let go.


	16. Broken Things Can Be Fixed

**A/N: Darn technical difficulties trying to thwart me. I'd like to say thank you to everyone's reviews (Can I just keep saying you guys are great?) for this story and my other one (*nudge* *nudge* *wink* *wink*). Anyways... Oooo this chapter has some of the title in it... Maybe it's important or something.**

 **()()()**

 _He smiled, and let go._

 **()()()**

A few things happened at the moment that Pitch shot the nightmare arrow. A voice gasped and yelled, "Look out!" Bunny turned, a look of surprise on his face, and a shaft of ice flew out to meet the arrow. The arrow flew straight into the ice, freezing and falling at Bunny's feet. Bunny stared at the arrow that very well could have been in his back.

Holly was sitting up in Bunny's arms. Her arm outstretched and hand open. As soon as the arrow hit the ground, her arm dropped too, a look of relief on her face.

Pitch stared at the new development who was staring at the arrow on the ground.

"Who are you?" He could see perfectly in the dark, but the girl was no one he knew. Though- with her dark hair, she looked like- He squashed the thought, not wanting to bring up bitter memories.

The girl tilted her head, but didn't answer.

Pitch didn't like being ignored even by strange little girls he'd never seen before, " _Who are you, little girl?_ " He hissed, "And what are you doing with _these_ people?"

Holly responded to the second question, "I'm here to fix time."

Pitch frowned, "Why?" The girl was very strange, he couldn't remember any spirit like her. Was she from the future than? Pitch glanced at the arrow frozen on the ground. _Frozen_.

Holly followed his gaze, then looked back up at him, "I think you know who I am."

Pitch stared wide-eyed at the girl, recognition in his eyes, "The girl from Jack's nightmares."

Holly tilted her head, lips pursed as if debating something, then nodded, "Yeah, I guess that's about right."

Pitch looked closer at her and grimaced, "You look that _boy_."

This time Holly was confused, "Are we talking about Jack? 'Cause yeah, of course I'd look like him." Then Holly remembered the first thing Tooth had said when she saw Holly, "Oh, Jamie." The confusion on her face spread, "Look, I have no idea who this Jamie is, so if I look like him it's probably a weird coincidence."

An idea dawned on Pitch, "Or maybe... Jack's family tree is more interesting then I thought."

He smirked, "So I shot two birds with one stone. Jack Frost _and_ Jamie Bennett."

Tooth gasped, everything clicking into place.

Holly's blush, _William Bennett, I- I used to have a huge crush on him_.

William _Bennett_.

She stared at Holly, "You're Jamie Bennett's ancestor."

Holly held up her hands, "Woah, like great- great- grandma or something?" Suddenly her eyes widened and her stomach lurched, "Hold it. Did you say Jamie _Bennett_?!" She leaned back into Bunny's arms, surprised, "But- but Will was like seven years older than me!"

The others were totally lost with the reasoning, but at least the similarities made sense now.

Pitch's smirk stayed on his face, "So... you're Jack's girl."

Holly frowned, "Ew, no. He's my brother."

Bunny held back a chuckle.

Pitch rolled his eyes, "That is _not_ what I meant." He looked Holly over, "Hmm... I figured MiM would turn you into a spirit, but of winter?"

Holly shrugged, "I can't complain. Winter was mine and Jack's favorite season."

"You seem to be taking all of this very well."

Holly smiled, "Hey, it's what I'm best at!"

She made note of the rising dawn, she just had to stall a little longer, "After all, it's what helped me beat you in my future."

A look of surprise crossed Pitch's face briefly, but he quickly recovered his smug expression, "Oh, really?"

She stood up and faced Pitch, "300 years later, you're still defeated. Still hiding under beds. Still alone."

Pitch glared at Holly and snarled, "And your dear brother is gone."

Bunny saw Holly waver slightly. He glared at Pitch, an insult on the tip of his tongue, only to be cut off by Holly, "Accept the past and move on with the future." She smiled, "I only have to believe."

Pitch looked impressed, "Hmm... your center?"

Holly nodded, "Yep."

"Too bad it didn't save you."

Holly didn't even blink, "But it did, Pitch. My belief saved me from dying at the bottom of a lake. I became the Guardian of Belief." Her smile grew, "You had no chance fighting against me."

Pitch scoffed, "How could you defeat me? You're just a child."

Holly gave Pitch a _really?_ look, "Wasn't Jamie a child?"

Pitch frowned, this girl was really getting on his nerves, "Jamie would've stopped believing if it hadn't for your meddling brother."

"Are you _sure_?"

Pitch shook his head, for the first time doubting his plan, "It doesn't matter! At least Jack Frost will pay!"

"By hurting a child?" Tooth couldn't keep silent any longer, "By making him lose his sister and making him _watch_ her die? How could you stoop so low, Pitch?"

Pitch turned to Tooth, "I'm going to save his life. It's obvious the girl lives." He pointed to Holly standing right in front of him.

"But you didn't know she'd live!"

Pitch shrugged, "I knew that Jack would lose what he held most dear."

Holly stared at the ground and whispered, "Just because you lost your family doesn't mean others can't have theirs."

Pitch froze and turned slowly to Holly, "What are you talking about?"

Holly spoke a little louder, "From what I understand, you want take away my brother's family, both new and old." She looked up, her blue eyes shining, "Jack didn't want to join you, and you resent that. You don't want Jack to have a family because _you_ don't have one."

Pitch clenched his hands into fists, "Stop talking."

Holly ignored the threatening tone of his voice, speaking strongly, "Do you remember how broken you felt? The hopelessness? Anger? Self-hate? The overwhelming sorrow? Do you remember that you wished you had died with them?"

Pitch lunged at Holly who just side-stepped him, "You buried yourself in anger. In hate. In _fear_. Do remember that you promised her that you'd come back?" Holly's eyes got misty, "Jack promised me too, you know."

Pitch froze again. Holly continued, "Jack dies three years later if you do this. He buries himself in sorrow. In hopelessness. You didn't have to watch her die. _He did._ "

She drew the locket out of her pocket and held it out. Pitch looked at it like it might burn him. Holly opened it up so he could see the picture of the black-haired girl, dark as her father's, smiling, "What would she want?"

Pitch hesitantly reached out his hand to touch the locket, then drew back, looking down, "I've gone too far."

Holly offered the locket to him, "The future can be changed, always." She looked over, through the trees, at the lake, "I- I don't want to see my brother drown." The Guardians felt a pang of sorrow.

She blinked back tears, "But I don't want to see him _die_. I don't want to see him broken-hearted and give up. That's _not_ my Jack."

She put her hands together in pleading gesture, "Please, don't do this."

Pitch stared at the pleading girl in front of him and thought of another little girl doing something similar.

 _Please don't go, Daddy._

 _You know I have to_

The reluctant nod, she held out her hand, a silver locket in it, _So I'll always be with you_

He knelt down and took it, _You're always with me._ He put a hand on his heart and she giggled. He hugged her and gave her a kiss on her forehead, _I'll be back soon_.

 _Promise?_

 _On my soul._

Pitch crumpled to the ground, the weight of everything crashing down on him at once. Holly put a hand on his shoulder and slipped the locket into his hands.

He looked up at her, tears streaming down his face, "How can you not hate me or fear me?"

Holly wiped at his tears, "I was mad at first, but I can't hate you." She smiled, "I can't hate anybody."

Sandy nodded, if Holly was a child, she couldn't stay angry long. Holly opened the locket, Pitch stared at the other little girl, "I can't be scared of you either. My center helps out with that part." She looked him in the eye, "I can believe in you, but you don't scare me. My fears are different." North wondered what Holly _was_ scared of, she kept saying how her fears were different.

Holly looked at the sky, morning had finally come, they were running out of time. She turned to Pitch, making her final plea, "All broken things can be fixed, you only have to believe in them. Please. Don't hurt my brother."

She offered her hand to him.

Pitch stared at it, glanced at the locket, then hesitantly took her hand.

Holly's smile was so bright and happy, Tooth had a hard time trying not to jump up and get a closer look.

Holly turned to the rest of them, "Let's head back."

Pitch stood up and Holly let go of his hand to grab the memory box and snowglobe out.

Bunny shook his head, "No way are you doing that again. You're drained. One more jump would-"

Holly smiled, sadly, "Bunny. It's not my future."

She ignored their looks of surprise and horror, "I am Holly Frost, spirit of Winter, of cold and ice. I summon the power bestowed upon me by MiM, the power of Winter and Wind." She laughed, her perfect child laugh, the one that sounded so much like Jack's, "I believe, I believe, I believe." She began to glow, a strong, bright blue.

Right before she could finish they heard voices coming from over the hill.

"Hurry up, Jack! We're almost there!"

A laugh, "Alright, alright!"

A look of complete sorrow crossed Holly's face, "I'm sorry, Jack." She closed her eyes and tears spilled out, "I believe in Jackson Overland. I believe in Jack Frost. I believe in my brother."

"Wait for me to check the ice, Holly!"

"Help me get my skates on, Jack!"

Holly threw the snowglobe at the ground and they all fell through.


	17. You Only Have to Believe

**A/N: When I started this story, I really thought that that last chapter was gonna be the climax... then the writer in me slapped me upside the head and yelled, "HA HA HA Nope!" And proceeded to write this chapter. How am I capable of writing such sad things?!**

 **Here we go!**

()()()

 _Holly threw the snowglobe at the ground and they all fell through._

()()()

The first thing, Bunny registered was the snow.

Then Tooth's frantic cry, "Holly!"

He got up and looked around. Burgess lake.

He turned around and felt his heart go into his throat. The last jump had taken any energy Holly had left. She would have fallen onto the hard ground if- The sight in front of him wasn't registering in Bunny's head.

A certain white-haired teen had reached his arm out and caught her.

His blue eyes were wide in surprise as he stared at the little girl.

Her eyes flew open when she realized that she hadn't hit the ground, only to go wide when she realized _who_ had caught her.

They stayed like that for a few seconds, staring at each other.

Jack dropped the staff that was in his other hand and hugged his little sister who threw her arms around her brother.

Holly buried her face in her brother's hoodie, "You're okay!"

Jack held on tight to his little sister, stroking her hair, "I could say the same to you!"

"Jack!" Tooth cried, tears of happiness streaming down her face.

Jack looked up, finally registering the others. He grinned, "Told ya I'd see you soon."

North laughed, "You have very odd sense of 'soon'."

Holly looked up at Jack, "We went traveling through time, Jack!"

Jack smiled at Holly, "Oh did you now?"

Holly nodded, excited, "Mhm, we used a snowglobe and Oh!" She reached into her cloak pocket and took out Jack's memory box, "This is yours."

Jack laughed and took it, "Thanks."

Holly just stared at him, tears shining in her eyes. Jack looked at her oddly, "Why are you staring at me?"

"Please don't ever stop smiling, Jack." She wrapped her hands around her brother again.

Jack's eyebrows furrowed and he gave the Guardians a _What is this about?_ look. Sandy made a clock over his head, _Later_.

Jack stroked Holly's hair, "I won't ever stop, okay, Holly?" He suddenly ruffled it and Holly giggled, "Besides, it's in my center!"

Holly nodded approvingly, "It suits you."

Suddenly, Holly paled and jerked forward. Jack froze, "Holly, what's wrong?"

Holly looked up and Jack could see the brown spreading in her eyes. Her hair was also turning brown. Holly held tight to Jack, "Jack. Take me skating."

Jack held back tears, Holly was fading.

"Jack. Please, take me skating."

Jack nodded, slowly, "Anything for my little princess."

He picked up his staff and helped her up. They walked slowly together to the lake.

Holly smiled when her skates touched the ice, frost shooting around her. She looked at her brother's bare feet, and her smile faded, "You never got a chance to put on your skates that day."

Jack knelt down to her height, "Hey, hey, don't think about that. I always hated shoes anyways. You know the elfs tried to put these horrible pointy shoes with bells on my feet..."

Holly giggled, the sight of Jack in pointy shoes running through her mind. Jack smiled and together they began to skate on the lake.

The Guardians watched as the two siblings held each other's hand and skated around the lake, laughing and talking. Pitch stood off in the shadows, sorting through all the memories that were now coming back. He didn't want to leave, but he didn't feel like he could join the others.

They all stepped forward when Holly lurched forward again. Jack caught her and they let out the breath that had caught in their throats.

Holly's eyes went wide at the side of her missing hand, "This is super weird." She looked down at her feet, only to see _them_ fading as well, "I guess we can't skate anymore."

Jack bit his lip, not wanting the fun to be gone. He suddenly smiled as an idea popped up in his head. He scooped Holly up in his arms and yelled, "Wind! Let's ride!"

Holly laughed as she flew in Jack's arms. She let out a loud whoop at the same time Jack did and they both burst into laughter as they skated in the air.

The Guardians hearts swelled at the sight of the two children laughing their perfect laughs.

Jack landed in a pile of snow and Holly laughed, "I could land better than that!"

"Oh yeah? Like that time you landed into Will's arms?"

Holly's face went red, "We said we'd never talk about that again!"

Jack laughed, "Come on, sis, everyone kn-"

Holly threw a snowball at her brother, hitting him right in the face. She laughed, "I may be short a hand, but I can still get you any d-" A snowball hit her face and she blinked the snow out her eyes, "It's on, Snowflake!"

"Snowflake?"

Another snowball hit his shoulder, "Hey, it's what Sandy calls you! So why can't I?"

Jack was about to throw another snowball at her when she leaned forward again. The brown had nearly spread all through her eyes and hair, and a snowball fell to the ground when her other hand faded.

She looked up at Jack, fear in her eyes, "Jack, I'm scared."

The Guardians felt their hearts lurch. Pitch felt Holly's fear and nearly fell over in surprise. It was the same fear she had had on the lake.

Jack scooped her up again, "I- I know, but- you're gonna be alright."

Holly looked up her brother, the blue still shining in the brown, "I'm not scared about myself, Jack. I always believed that you would protect me." She leaned her head against her brother's chest, "I'm scared about _you_."

Jack blinked back tears as he held his sister close to him, "Why would you be scared about me?"

"I don't want you to get hurt because of me," Tears spilled down her face, "I- I'm scared of hurting you, Jack."

Jack hugged his little sister tightly, not wanting to let her go, "You could never hurt me, Holly."

"But- but you died because of me." She sobbed, "In _both_ tim-"

Jack stopped his sister by putting a finger over her mouth, "It wasn't your fault, Holly." He wiped her tears away, "You could _never_ hurt me." He smiled, "You know why?"

A smile broke out on Holly's face, "Be- because you're my big brother..."

"...And you're my little sister." He kissed her forehead and she cuddled into his hoodie, "Never stop smiling, Jack. Promise?"

"I promise, Holly."

Holly turned to the Guardians, "Don't let him forget his promise, mmm-kay? He may be annoying and stubborn, but he's my brother, and if you don't take care of him, I will personally haunt you and make your life miserable."

Bunny chuckled, "I don't doubt it."

Holly turned to Pitch, who was still in the shadows, "All broken things can fixed."

Pitch smiled, "You only have to believe in them."

Holly nodded, satisfied.

She looked up at Jack, a smile on her face, as she faded, "I love you, Jack."

Jack wiped the tears from his eyes and smiled back at her, "I love you, too, Holly."

And with that, she was gone.


	18. A New Family

**A/N: I feel like I can't leave you guys feeling sad about the last chapter so I decided to post another one. I'm so sad though! This story is almost done! *cry* I mean, I knew it had to end someday, but so soon? I guess there'll be more, but I always feel so sad when a story comes to an end. Happy, but sad.**

 **Anyway, to happy feelings!**

 **()()()**

 _And with that, she was gone._

 **()()()**

When Jack had learned his past, he hadn't focused on the fact that he had died, he had focused on the fact that his sister had lived. He hadn't realized how much he had missed her until he had held her in his arms. Losing her again was hard.

The moment that Holly had disappeared, for the second time that day, Jack cried.

He put his arms around his knees and pulled his knees in until he was curled up into a ball, and sobbed. Tooth put a hand out, but quickly pulled back. She felt her own tears falling down her face, Jack and Holly never deserved anything like this. They acted so strong for the other, but Tooth had seen Holly's devastated face when she had left her brother to the lake. Now Jack had just lost his sister, _again_.

The others were just unsure on how to comfort Jack. They couldn't just pat him on the back and tell him everything would be okay. It would seem fake.

Sandy tugged on North's coat: snowflake and then the other symbols he had for the Guardians around the snowflake.

North nodded, and got the attention of the other two Guardians who also understood what Sandy was saying.

Jack was still curled up when he felt the hand on his shoulder. He looked up, wiping at the tears on his face. He hated crying in front of other people.

Sandy formed the same message, but Jack wasn't getting it.

North noticed Jack's confused face and cleared his throat, "Sandy is saying that we are here for you, Jack."

Tooth nodded, "Jack, we may not be the same as your old family, but- but we want to try. Would you let us be your family?"

Jack stared at them in shock, "You- you want to be my family?"

Bunny swallowed his pride, "Yeah, frostbite. We wanna be there for ya. Ya know, keep our promise."

Fresh tears came to Jack's eyes, "You guys want me? You- you won't-" Jack blinked back tears, "You won't leave me?"

They all felt the weight of the guilt of leaving Jack alone for 300 years. It would _never_ happen again.

Tooth wrapped her arms around Jack who flinched, unused to the contact, "We'll never leave you."

Bunny knelt down and ruffled Jack's hair, "Of course we won't. Don't want your sister haunting us and making our lives miserable."

Jack laughed, and in that moment they realized why Holly had made Jack promise to smile. They never wanted to lose Jack's laugh.

North brought them all into a group hug, and Jack laughed harder, "You guys are squishing me!"

Bunny protested too, "Knock it off or you're gonna see carrots."

Pitch hung back and watched the odd family, in their bizarre group hug, laugh and hug each other even harder.

He opened up the locket in his hand and, for the first time, smiled at the little girl inside. Then he turned and went into the shadows.

()()()

"Jack? Jack, where are you?" Jamie's voice echoed through the woods.

Jack looked around, trying to see where Jamie was. He stood up, breaking up the group hug, and pulled up his hoodie. Tooth saw the frost lining his cheeks, Jack was embarrassed to be seen crying. Jack tried looking around again, "Jamie, where are _you_?"

"Over here!" Jamie ran out of the woods into the clearing by the lake.

The Guardians did a double take, Jamie looked so much like Holly.

Jack swallowed nervously, trying hard not to cry again, "H-Hey Jamie."

Jamie was bouncing up and down in excitement, a huge brown old book under his arm, " _SoJackIwasathomeandwarmingup'causeinthatlastsnowballfightPippaputasnowballdownmyshirtandmymomwastalkingabouthowwespendanawf-"_

Jack held up his hands, "Woah, woah, woah. Stop right there. I did not get _any_ of that."

Tooth rolled her eyes, "He was saying that he was at home warming up 'cause in that last snowball fight Pippa put a snowball down his shirt and his mom was talking about how they spend _something_ before you interrupted!"

Jamie nodded, "Yeah!"

North shook his head, "I do not know how she does that."

Jamie took a deep breath and slowed down a bit, "Well, she was saying that we spend an awful lot of time at Jack's lake!"

Jack blinked at that, "Jack's lake?"

Jamie nodded, "Yeah! We call it Overland lake so I asked my mom why she called it Jack's lake and she said that a boy named Jackson Overland saved his sister on that lake and that Jack's sister was one of my great-great-great-great," Jamie's eyebrows knitted together, "Well, it was a lot of greats, but she's one of our ancestors!"

Jamie tilted his head, "Jack, was that you?"

His brown eyes were so curious and eager. Jack saw his sister for a minute and couldn't trust his voice to speak without cracking so he just nodded.

Jamie threw his arms around Jack, nearly dropping the book, "That means we're related!" The book shifted and Jamie stepped back, "Oh! My mom brought out this old family book!" He opened it up, flipping through the pages, "I thought you might want to look at it."

Jack froze for a second, then stood where he could look over Jamie's shoulder. Jamie was flipping through the book, "I know I saw an old picture in here somewhere..." Suddenly, Jack stuck out his hand and marked a page. Jamie stopped flipping and Jack slowly flipped the page to the picture he had seen.

The Guardians tried to squeeze in and see the picture too. They were crowded and squished, but they all could see it.

It was an old family portrait. A pioneer man and his wife were sitting on the front porch. Neither were really smiling, but their eyes had a certain sparkle in them. In front of them was a boy with a little girl on his lap. Both were smiling, the boy holding the little girl like he never wanted to let her go, and the girl sitting comfortably in the boy's lap, a hand reaching out to the artist.

Jamie looked between Jack and the boy in the picture, "Is that you?"

Jack nodded, again, "I remember that picture. I hated sitting still so long, but Holly sat on my lap and wouldn't let me move."

Jamie laughed, "That sounds like Sophie."

Jack smiled, "I guess little sisters are always the same."

Jamie flipped the page. The next two pages were filled with charcoal sketches. Holly laughing, her hair spilling over her face. Holly collecting Easter eggs. Jack's mom baking with Holly, dough and flour covering both of them. Jack's dad and mom smiling at each other while they washed dishes together. Jack's dad chasing Holly who was screaming with laughter. They were random everyday things, but so alive and fun.

Bunny frowned, "You're not in any of these, mate."

Jack put a hand to one of them, the one of Holly laughing, "I never could do a self-portrait."

"You drew those?!" Jamie's eyes got wide, as wide as Bunny's at that moment.

Jack laughed, "I never liked stuffy old paintings where no one smiled and you had to sit for hours. I like pictures that are fun, so I drew 'em."

Jamie stared at the pictures, "They're great."

Tooth noted the frost on the cheeks again and tried not to laugh. Jack quickly flipped the page.

This time, it was Jack's turn to stare. It was a portrait, but not one that he had ever seen before.

A young woman, with brown hair and brown eyes, looked out at them. She had a small smile on her lips and her eyes were sparkling. She was wearing a beautiful white dress with white flowers spilling down her lap.

Jack swallowed and spoke, his voice cracking slightly, "She grew up." He wiped at the tears on his face, "I wish I could've been there for her."

Jamie tilted his head, confused, "But you were! When it really mattered, you were there for her and saved her." He flipped the page, "Look, she had a family!"

It was an old family portrait. A pioneer man and his wife were sitting on the porch. Both the man and the woman were laughing as their kids, an older girl, boy and girl twins, and young boy ran around the porch trying to catch a baby that was crawling away.

Jamie laughed, "My mom says she likes this picture 'cause of an old family story. When the artist asked the mom in the picture why her kids weren't sitting down and being well-behaved, she laughed and said that she remembered her older brother had hated it and all little kids did, so why should she make her kids sit still and be miserable when they could move and be happy?"

North put an arm around Jack, "See, Jack? You _vere_ there for her. You vere a very good brother."

Jack looked up at North and smiled, "Thanks, North."

Jamie wrapped his arms around Jack again, "I can't believe we're related!"

Jack knelt down and hugged Jamie back, "You look a lot like my little sister you know."

Jamie drew back and looked at Jack, "Really?"

Jack ruffled Jamie's hair, "Same hair, same eyes. Plus, you both have this crazy amount of belief in you."

Jamie laughed, "Does that make me kind of like your little brother or something?"

Jack laughed too, "You bet it does. Welcome to the family, kid!"

He hugged Jamie and the others joined in. It was another squished, crazy group hug, but it was full of wonder at the events that had brought them together, of memories of old families, of hope for the new one, of dreams come true, of the fun they'd have, and an overwhelming belief that nothing could ever bring them apart. As the new family came together, a light snow began to fall. Snowflakes shaped like holly leaves...


	19. Epilogue

**A/N: This is it folks! The last chapter. *confetti* I've finished my first multi-chapter story on fanfiction! Thanks for all your support, your welcome, and your reviews. You'll be seeing more of me in the future for sure!**

 **Last chapter!**

Jack was flying to Burgess Historical graveyard. He had just left a Guardian meeting, though the meetings were more like family gatherings now.

Jack smiled, this time he had managed to sneak Jamie in and they had wreaked general havoc. Jack had just returned him home, after getting another one North's lectures on why you couldn't sneak children in to "test" the toys. Even though, Jack noted, that North had pulled Phil aside and asked if they could make a snowball launcher by any chance.

North was falling into more of father role for Jack. He was always able to settle arguments, unless they had to do with whether or not Easter was better than Christmas.

Speaking of which, Bunny was _not_ letting him forget about the fact that Jack had said Easter was better... Bunny was definitely the older totally immature brother. Jack wondered briefly if that was how he was to Holly, if so, no wonder she said he was annoying.

Tooth was a bit of conundrum. Jack wasn't quite sure if she was more of an older sister or younger sister, but she was definitely becoming something of a mother figure, acting like they were all her baby teeth.

Sandy was a bit odd too at first, but Jack had decided that Sandy was kind of like a wise older brother. That really cool brother that was super smart and could make whips out of sand and stuff...

Jack figured that they saw him as a little brother or a son or something like that. They were definitely an odd family, but a really happy one.

He landed, right at the entrance. At first he hadn't ever wanted to come here, but after a while, he realized it was something to honor her memory, not bury her and forget. He couldn't just forget her. He walked directly to the pair of graves. He froze when he saw a dark figure by one of them.

Pitch knelt down and put something on the grave. Jack moved to get a better look at it but slipped, the stones meeting his hands and making a loud sound. Pitch turned around, surprised.

He froze when he saw Jack. Jack scrambled up, "What are you doing here?"

Pitch took a step back, "I- I'll leave." He made a move to step into the shadows.

"Wait!" Jack held out his hands. Pitch hesitated and Jack picked up his staff, quickly, "I- I never got to thank you."

This made Pitch stop, "Thank me? Why would you want to thank me? Shouldn't you want to, I don't know, hurt me? Never see me again?"

Jack furrowed his brow, "Well, I'm a bit surprised to see you here, but I've already forgiven you for everything."

"Why?" Pitch had no experience with this kind of forgiveness. First Holly, now Jack.

Jack looked down at his feet, "I- I got to take her skating like I promised." He looked Pitch in the eye, "I got to hold her one last time." Jack bit his lip, "Thank you for that."

Pitch's hand went to the locket in his cloak, he would give anything to hold his daughter for one last time.

Jack walked up to the graves and cleared away the snow that had covered them.

 _Holly Overland Bennett_

 _Caring Wife and Mother_

 _Loving Daughter and Sister_

 _We will never forget your smile_

 _1703-1789_

 _Jackson Overland_

 _Loving Son and Brother_

 _Died a Hero and a Guardian_

 _We will never forget your laugh_

 _1695-1712_

Jack glanced down at his sister's grave and smiled. On one side, an easter egg rested against a memory case that was next to a golden flower and a holly branch. On the other side, a white rose rested against the stone.

"It was Emily Jane's favorite flower," Pitch whispered, "She would have loved Holly."

Jack knelt down and blew into his cupped hands. When he opened them, a frost flower fell onto Holly's grave.

He sat down and pulled his knees in, "Does it ever stop hurting?"

Pitch stood, looking at the graves, "They say it does, but I'm still waiting for it to happen."

Jack nodded. They stayed there in silence for a while, thinking about old families long lost.

Jack broke the silence suddenly, "You know, my father went off to war."

Pitch felt a chill go down his spine.

Jack just stared at the graves and continued, "I didn't want him to go. I wanted to go with him, but he said somebody had to be the man of the household." Jack chuckled, "That made nine-year-old me puff up with pride. My dad ruffled my hair and told me I had to take care of my little sister." His hand brushed against the frost flower, "That I was her guardian now."

Jack pulled his arms around his knees, "He never came back."

Pitch stared at Jack. He never guessed that Jack would have gone through such sorrow. But it made sense, now that he thought about it. Jack knew what it was like to be sad, so he always tried to make people smile.

Jack rested his head on his knees, "I always tried to protect her from everything. I took my job as Guardian pretty seriously. I never knew that she was scared for me. I mean, I knew she didn't want to hurt me, but I never realized what she meant by that." Jack looked up at the Moon, "She knew that I would give up my life to save her without a second thought."

Pitch wasn't sure how to act to this, but he tried his best, "You were her guardian, Jack. I'm sorry I tried to take that away from you."

Jack looked up and Pitch knelt down next to him, "I had a wife and a daughter." He took out the locket, opening it up to the smiling girl, "I was their guardian, but I left them." Pitch stared at the white flower, "I wasn't there for them when pirates raided our home." He closed the locket, "I failed."

Jack was surprised, he was sure Pitch had never been this open about his past before.

Pitch continued, "I let anger consume me. I let _fear_ consume me. Fear of loss, fear of failing another family," He picked up the white rose, "Fear of having my heart broken again."

Pitch put the rose back on Holly's grave, "Then your sister came along." He stared at the grave, "She was so trusting, full of belief. She had lost her family, had her heart broken, and yet she had fixed it somehow."

Pitch smiled, "Broken things can be fixed, you only have to believe in them."

Jack threw his arms around Pitch and Pitch froze. "I miss her," Jack whispered, tears spilling silently down his cheeks.

Pitch hesitantly wrapped his arms around Jack, "It's okay to miss them, I think."

Jack smiled. He wondered where Pitch would fit into their new, crazy, loving family.

 **A/N: I hope you all liked this story as much as I liked writing it! As I said at the top, you will be seeing more of me as I have another story that just needs some editing and a whole lot of others in the works (some inspired by you guys!) *sighs contentedly* You guys are awesome...**


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